Skip to main content

TAX REFUND 2010



I got plenty of toys last year, so my ambitions for this year are more modest:

  1. Mac-Friendly Webcam for Skyping ($30 - 50)
If anyone knows of a good one for Macs, let me know. My sister and brother-in-law had a little trouble setting theirs up.
  1. Headphones with Mic for Skyping on iPod Touch (20-$50)
Now that my Internet is speedy enough, my plan is to eventually use Skype for all my long-distance calls. I just need to find some headphones without those stupid earbuds. My doctor told me never to put anything in my ear smaller than my elbow, and it seems like good advice. I don't even like using earplugs except for those wax ones that swimmers use. If you've ever had TMJ pain where it feels like someone is drilling into your brain from the inside, you'll know why. I might have to buy the mic separately.
  1. Boxee Box ($200?)
This is the one that will go bye-bye if my fridge or dishwasher conk out. I love the idea of streaming shows on the Internet, watching them at my computer not so much. On the other hand, I could try to add it to my Apple TV for free, but I'm a little scared of jailbreakking and having to worry if every software update will mess everything up.
  1. Ram for MacPro ($100-200 for 2-4 GB)
My computer is about 3 years old, time for some memory to perk things up, especially since I installed Snow Leopard. I think I'll try to install it myself this time and buy one of those geeky static bracelets because you know I'll fry something otherwise.

Comments

Unknown said…
well Jfro, if you're looking for headphones i have a set that plug into a usb port that i'd be happy to give you. There's just the USB port thing...Luke says its bad for sound quality...so its up to you.
just offering

Trish
rawen@risingnights.com

p.s. I really like your writing style! i've been trying to emulate it in my own blog (http://rawen.twilightdawn.net)
JethSeux said…
All very useful items, I am sure . . .

I don't know about the Boxee Box though, something to coordinate devices seems like it could go obsolete when the other technology changes, but I could be wrong, I am just your loving caveman tech-primitive boyfriend after all!

I think the webcam would be most useful as it would cut down on your phone bills.

Popular posts from this blog

MY BUBBLE

This is real heavy metal, by the way . So, this guy whose name I swear I'd never heard but appeared to have gone to my high school tried to friend me on Facebook. His main interests were the band Stryper and Republicanism, so I didn't add him. I mean, really, Stryper ? I thought teens in the 80s only listened to them because they liked metal and their parents forbade any other band as a direct path to the worship of Satan. When you leave home, you throw away their records and listen to real metal. But then I read this article that said we are all getting trapped in a bubble of like-minded people who parrot our ideas back to us, due to social networks and rss feeds and apps only giving us the people/opinions/stories we want to hear. And I thought--maybe I was wrong. Or maybe I'm OK, because I do have a lot of weird interests that make it pretty hard to find people who are on the same page with everything. I have social network connections with people around roleplaying game

TOP TEN LIPSYNCH FOR YOUR LIFE SONGS FOR A DRAG KING EQUIVALENT OF RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE

 The Advocate has suggested that the greatest (i.e. only good) reality show ever, Rupaul's Drag Race , have a drag king contestant.  That's fine, but it would be much more entertaining to have a whole drag king competition. One of the best parts of Drag Race is seeing all the different types of queens compete: beauty queens, funny queens, conceptual queens, androgynous queens, scary queens, singing and dancing queens.  I want to see punk kings, gangsta rap kings, cock-rocking metal kings, panty-dropping R & B kings, country kings, baggy-pants burlesque comic kings, and of course, Elvis. I picked out some songs that make me think of different aspects of masculinity:  swaggering men, heartbroken men, lustful men, romantic men, philosophical men, and suicidally depressed men (interesting fact: I can think of dozens of songs by men about suicide, but only one female one: "Gloomy Sunday". What's up with that?) "That's Life" - Frank Sinatra

HOME ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE: THE EMBIGGENING

  Chromecast CD storage Antenna Blu-ray player Apple TV Receiver Record player VHS Tape player So, I decided to spend my tax refund on home entertainment this year, as TV keeps getting better, whereas movies... not so much. My computer is old, but it still works, and replacing a computer seems less urgent when you have mobile devices. It feels like a long time ago when RAM and processor power seemed so important in order to use the latest bloated software, but now with so many webapps and sites designed for mobile, as long as your Internet is fast enough, you're OK. Lifehacker says to spend money where you spend most of your time, and I now use my tablet more than my desktop. Also, with all the streams I have access to, there was one chink in my entertainment system -- my TV was not actually big enough to appreciate high definition. Well, it seemed like a good deal in 2007, at $200 more than my new one which is almost twice as big. The main thing stopping me